This vs Celtx for Novel Writing

[MtHoodlum]

For those who have used this, and Celtx... which one is better suited for writing novels? I know Celtx has updated its software in the past to accommodate people that want to use it for novels more than script writing, but I also know (at least it used to) lack double spacing and indexing.

I like the idea of how you can keep track of characters or places easier, drag and drop things, ect.

From your experience, which one might be better for it?

P.S. Celtx is NOT free. Maybe it used to be? It definitely isn't anymore.

[Phlinger Phoo]

OpenOffice for Novels.

[LGM1979]

I don't see any reason to use Celtx or any script software for novels. There are certain things publishers will be looking for when you send them your work, but it's like 1% of the stuff you need to do with a script to get it ready to send out. The movie industry is so overly picky about script format and everything being exactly how they want it, you pretty much have to use software to write them.

For novels though, Phlinger O' Poo (best Steam username ever! lol! ) is correct, Open Office all the way. And I know what I'm talking about, as I am a failed novelist AND screenwriter lol!!

[MtHoodlum]

Thanks for the replies. I know, I use open office :). Sometimes I have hard time organizing characters, places, notes and all the other ♥♥♥♥ that goes with writing stories. I liked the idea of having a program that made it easy to keep track of it all. I know the script writing part wont do anything for me though, so it is probably a waste of money. I wish they had something like this that was made strictly for novels.

[Mr Moopsy]

Originally posted by MtHoodlum:

Thanks for the replies. I know, I use open office :). Sometimes I have hard time organizing characters, places, notes and all the other ♥♥♥♥ that goes with writing stories. I liked the idea of having a program that made it easy to keep track of it all. I know the script writing part wont do anything for me though, so it is probably a waste of money. I wish they had something like this that was made strictly for novels.

They do have something like this for novels...its called open office haha. If you need to plot out ideas, organize and plan thoughts, open office comes with an excel type spreadsheet as well as possibilites to use say, their powerpoint equivalent among other things.

[Sir Telias]

As someone who has spent the majority of this year writing their first novel, I personally prefer Word over OpenOffice, but either one will get the job done.

As far as keeping track of ideas, I like to use Evernote, as it lets you organize your notes into different notebooks as well as allows you to view your notes on their mobile app. That being said, half the time I don't even write up notes because I have it all worked out in my head (I spend A LOT of time thinking about it). I will make a note, however, if it's a fresh idea that could be easily forgotten if I let everything else distract me; this is especially true if it involves changes to a scene I've already done.

[Mr Moopsy]

Originally posted by Rand0mExpl0sive:

As someone who has spent the majority of this year writing their first novel, I personally prefer Word over OpenOffice, but either one will get the job done.

As far as keeping track of ideas, I like to use Evernote, as it lets you organize your notes into different notebooks as well as allows you to view your notes on their mobile app. That being said, half the time I don't even write up notes because I have it all worked out in my head (I spend A LOT of time thinking about it). I will make a note, however, if it's a fresh idea that could be easily forgotten if I let everything else distract me; this is especially true if it involves changes to a scene I've already done.

Obviously word is far superior. It is a better polished program. I pick word over open office anyday. I think open office is simply brought up because it is free. Not only is it free but it is comparable to word and the microsoft office suite of programs.

[Phlinger Phoo]

I find OpenOffice easier to format Novels/Novellas for E-Book and Print sites. MOBI and E-Pub formats. Word can be rather difficult to find places where a stray TAB may be and what caused me to stop using it was on my second Novel, having to copy everything over to rich text format to erase the format then copy it back over. That was a nightmare, one I never have to repeat with OpenOffice. I have all my settings saved in format, so now I just create a new file and start writing, simple and effective, less is more.

I heard Word may have fixed the problem, but I won't be burned a second time and OpenOffice works, so why swap back?

[Mr Moopsy]

Originally posted by Phlinger O'Poo:

I find OpenOffice easier to format Novels/Novellas for E-Book and Print sites. MOBI and E-Pub formats. Word can be rather difficult to find places where a stray TAB may be and what caused me to stop using it was on my second Novel, having to copy everything over to rich text format to erase the format then copy it back over. That was a nightmare, one I never have to repeat with OpenOffice. I have all my settings saved in format, so now I just create a new file and start writing, simple and effective, less is more.

I heard Word may have fixed the problem, but I won't be burned a second time and OpenOffice works, so why swap back?

exactly. I think really, once you become familiar with one or the other, there is no need to switch to anything else.

One can always buy a typwriter and write a novel using that! How classic and awesome would that feel haha. After its all done, simply scan and read those pages on a computer to get it as a text format for publishing!

There is no right or wrong way, best solution to anything. Find what works best for you as an individual and work from there.

[MtHoodlum]

Originally posted by Rand0mExpl0sive:

As someone who has spent the majority of this year writing their first novel, I personally prefer Word over OpenOffice, but either one will get the job done.

As far as keeping track of ideas, I like to use Evernote, as it lets you organize your notes into different notebooks as well as allows you to view your notes on their mobile app. That being said, half the time I don't even write up notes because I have it all worked out in my head (I spend A LOT of time thinking about it). I will make a note, however, if it's a fresh idea that could be easily forgotten if I let everything else distract me; this is especially true if it involves changes to a scene I've already done.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into Evernote. My time spent being able to think about things (as well as being able to remember what I think of) is hit or miss and ever chaotic. I have a one year old and pregnant wife, a retarded dog and lack of sleep :). So anything helps me.

And yes. I am familiar with spreadsheets. I just liked the idea of how this program set all that up.

[Neph]

If you want a really good piece of novel writing software, I would recommend Scrivener. They have it for Windows and Mac, but no Linux yet, I believe. I have used it for several projects, from novels to scripts, and even reports for school. You can organize thought via notecards, you can add notes for each scene, you can view files side-by-side. You can take snapshots of your work before editing it, in case you don't like your edits later on and want to change it back. The list of features goes on, but it is incredibly useul for writers, and is only $35-$40. They are also working on another program called Scapple, which is like mind-mapping software that integrates seamlessly with Scrivener if you want to add something from Scapple to your writing project.

Not sure why you would want to use script-writing software for a novel, but I definitely recommend Scrivener. You can format your work into script format in the program, as well, if you want to use it for both novel writing and script writing. If nothing else, it's worth a look and has a lot more to offer over OpenOffice, Word, and Evernote, if you don't mind the one-time fee.

[MtHoodlum]

Originally posted by Neph:

If you want a really good piece of novel writing software, I would recommend Scrivener. They have it for Windows and Mac, but no Linux yet, I believe. I have used it for several projects, from novels to scripts, and even reports for school. You can organize thought via notecards, you can add notes for each scene, you can view files side-by-side. You can take snapshots of your work before editing it, in case you don't like your edits later on and want to change it back. The list of features goes on, but it is incredibly useul for writers, and is only $35-$40. They are also working on another program called Scapple, which is like mind-mapping software that integrates seamlessly with Scrivener if you want to add something from Scapple to your writing project.

Not sure why you would want to use script-writing software for a novel, but I definitely recommend Scrivener. You can format your work into script format in the program, as well, if you want to use it for both novel writing and script writing. If nothing else, it's worth a look and has a lot more to offer over OpenOffice, Word, and Evernote, if you don't mind the one-time fee.

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely check it out. I didn't necessarily want to use screen-writing software for a novel, I'm just unaware of what is out there that is good for novel writing, other than the obvious such as Word and Open Office.